Ready. Set. Write! Week 3

 

Thanks for stopping by and for the support over the past weeks!  Just a reminder, here are the lovely ladies hosting this link up: Alison, Jamie, Katy, Erin, & Elodie.

Let's get right to it!

    ●How I did on last week’s goal(s):

I upped my word count to 3000 words for the week. 
People! I did it! I barely scraped by, but I hit my word count goal. Up until this week, I had set a goal of 2000 words, but I wanted to up it and was so happy I did! It was definitely hard, but having a good chunk of time in the car to write was perfect! Big smiley faces all around!! :)

Here is the breakdown of my words per week. 

Monday: 468 words

Tuesday:  453 words

Wednesday: 614 words

Thursday: 423 words

Friday: off

Saturday: off

Sunday: 1089 words

TOTAL: 3045 words 

     ●My goal(s) for this week:

I am still on my big goal high, but I want to hit attainable goals, so I'm going to meet in the middle and say 2500 words this week. 

   ●A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised:
Words words and more words! They definitely aren't pretty, but I'm getting my story written down, finally!

    ●The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc):

We were out of town this week, and I am always so tired when I get home, I just want to snuggle with the hubs and veg out!

    ●Something I love about my WIP:
That the word count just keeps climbing and climbing, I love progress!
"Now that's progress!" (100 points to who knows what Walt Disney ride this is from!)

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a goal smashing week!

Ready. Set. Write! Week 2

 

Another week down, another completed goal!  Let's get right to it.

    ●How I did on last week’s goal(s):

Write 2000 words for the week.

Here is the breakdown of my words per week. 

Monday: 439 words

Tuesday: 427 words

Wednesday: 952 words

Thursday: Off

Friday: 506 words

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Off

TOTAL: 2324 words 

I knew I would have a busy weekend and not be able to get any writing done on Sat and Sun, what with my son's birthday and Father's day, so I made it a priority to try and get my goal done before then.  Glad I was able to stick to it.

     ●My goal(s) for this week:

I would like to push myself this week, so I'm going to aim for 3000 words this week! I am going out of town for the weekend, but I figure I can do some good writing in the car. 

   ●A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised:
Here's a little bit from what I wrote this week. My MC is being impatient and decides she is going to try and save her father herself. Little does she know she is running right into a trap.
She brought the small pistol with her and had it in the passenger’s seat. She really hoped she didn’t need to use it. She hated the feeling of the cool metal against her skin, it always gave her a creepy feeling.  Like the gun had a conscious and it was whispering to her, “kill..kill..kill.”

    ●The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc):

I struggled with being motivated to write after the kids went to bed. But I knew I needed to just sit down and do it! Having this check in every week really keeps me accountable, and I am really glad for that! :)

    ●Something I love about my WIP:
My MC is really learning a lot about herself right now, I love exploring how she will handle certain situations and how it will build her character for the better.

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a goal smashing week!

Ready. Set. Write! Week 1

 

Here we are, the first week is done!  If you don't know what Ready. Set. WRITE! is, check it out here. 

    ●How I did on last week’s goal(s):

Write 2000 words for the week.

Here is the breakdown of my words per week. 

Monday: 616 words

Tuesday: 323 words

Wednesday: 987 words

Thursday: 117 words

Friday: Off

Saturday: 755 words

Sunday: 99 words

TOTAL: 2897 words 

So glad I was able to keep to my goal! Very interesting that my most words were on Wednesday, which was my half hour I allotted myself during my lunch break. I am definitely going to aim to have more of these sessions this week.

     ●My goal(s) for this week:

I'm going to stick with the 2000 words again. I have a pretty busy week, with my son's birthday on Friday and Father's day on Sunday, so I'm not sure I will be able to get any more words than last week. 

   ●A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised:

I'm loving the angst between my MC and her ex. The physical attraction is there, but they just can't seem to get it together on an emotional level.

 

    ●The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc):

In regards to being more active in the writer community... I didn't do that great. It seems Twitter is the main social site for everyone, am I right? Still learning all of the ins and outs. Plus I think I was using the wrong hashtag...lol. Hope to start interacting more soon! I am @SuzLMeyer if you want to add me! (Pretty please?)

    ●Something I love about my WIP:

This is my first draft, but I am loving how the story is unfolding itself. I still don't know who my MC is going to end up with at the end....hmmm....

I hope everyone has a productive week!

Ready. Set. WRITE! - My Goals

 

I am stepping out on a huge ledge here, and joining some lovely writers for my FIRST EVER writing link up.  So without further ado...
Here's a little bit about READY. SET. WRITE!

Ready. Set. WRITE! is a summer writing intensive that provides an opportunity for us to cheer each other on wherever we’re at in our writing—planning, drafting, or revising. We set goals, write/revise/plan like crazy, and keep one another accountable.  It is hosted by Alison, Katy, Erin, Jaime & Elodie.

I need this accountability, desperately.  Especially if I ever plan to actually finish this manuscript.
So here are my big goals for the summer:

1. Get my word count to 40,000 for my WIP. I'm currently at 17,000, so that will be roughly 2000 words a week.
2. Go to the beach at least twice this summer.
3. Get more active within the writing community, whether it's blogging, twitter, etc. Just get out there and start conversations!

Which leads me to my first weekly goal:

1. Write 2000 words for the week!  Short and simple, I am really hoping I can do this!
   
   Oh, and since this is my first time doing Ready. Set. WRITE!, here's a little bit about me.  Hi, I'm Suzanne! I live in Florida with my lovely husband, our two crazy kids (Kaitlyn is 4, Zack is 1) and our two spoiled kitties.  I am an interior designer by day and try to fit in my writing on lunch breaks, nights, weekends and long work flights (clearly I'm failing!) I'm a closet writer, my husband is the only one that knows I'm writing a novel, so it's finally out there in the open!  I am very excited and nervous to be doing this! Thanks for reading!

Friday Five - Stitch Fix Review

Happy Friday!  I'm looking forward to the weekend, how about you?  I decided to do my Friday Five around my Stitch Fix pieces that I received this week!

1. The first item I tried on was the Mapei V-Neck Blouse - $44. I loved the fun colors and the light-weight colors. And that it is a very versatile piece, and can be dressed up or down.

STATUS: KEEPING

 

2. Once my fix shipped, I cheated and googled all of the items before they were delivered. (You know you do this too!) This was a pretty popular dress so I found it instantly, the Lex Textured Floral Fit and Flare Dress - $74. I knew I would love the style of the dress, as I had a similar fit and flare style dress from my first fix. I loved the fit.

STATUS: KEEPING

3. The second top is the Edmondo Stud Detailed Split-Back Blouse - $38. I loved the color right away, a fun turquoise for the summer. I wasn't sure about the style, but the more I walked around in it, the more I liked it.  Plus the hubs really liked it, so it was a win! I forgot to take a picture of the back, which is the fun part..whoops!  It has the gold studs going down the back, and it splits at the bottom.

STATUS: KEEPING

4. Oh this jean jacket.  Morrie Boyfriend Denim Jacket - $58. I wanted to love you, and I am still unsure about this one. It's a very heavy jean jacket, which I'm not sure how much wear I will get out of it in Florida.  I don't see myself wearing it in the Spring/Summer. It fit, but it was a bit big at the shoulders and the arms.  You can see below how the sleeves come over my wrist. 

STATUS: UNDECIDED, BUT LEANING TOWARDS RETURN

5. The Marsha Bowler Satchel Bag - $68. I asked for a crossover type bag and my stylist delivered! It's a good size, but could have been a little bit smaller.  The color is a powder blue.  Again, this is one I am unsure about. I showed the pictures to my co-workers and they think it's a great color and to treat it like a neutral. 

STATUS: UNDECIDED, BUT LEANING TOWARDS KEEPING

 Not too bad for my second fix!  What do you all think?  Should I keep or return the items I am unsure about?

And to end it off on a really cute note, this little girl is having her first recital tomorrow!  Can't wait to see her dance her beautiful heart out! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with great memories!

Zackary's Viking Birthday Party

My little boy is turning two next month, so what better time than to re-cap his 1st birthday party! I knew from the beginning it would be a viking/Norway themed party with nautical hints thrown in.  My husband is part Norwegian, and we made the nursery theme based off of a viking ship painting that was passed down to my husband, so the party theme made perfect sense!

We had a relaxed party at the house with family and a few friends.  For decor, I mainly focused on the food area, which is our dining room.

 

I made the above invitation on Photoshop.  

Behind the invitation I re-used spaghetti jars and painted them and added twine for vases.

Since his birthday is in the summer, there was lots of Red, White and Blue decor to choose from! I picked up some flowers at Michael's that were at a great price.

 

Fun nautical bucket that I used to hold the silverware.  I wrapped the silverware in nautical napkins from Ikea, wrapped them in twine with life preservers (life saver candy).

 

The drink station was on our dining buffet.  We had fruit punch Kool-aid for the kids and waters and sodas for the adults.  My mom gave me the fabric scraps of Zack's quilt she made for him, so I made him a tassel garland and used some of the other scraps for table runners and additional decor.

I think the tassel garland is my favorite!  I have it hanging in his room now above the changing table.

Some of the food - Viking Booty and Fish

I think this was my best food spread yet!  The red, white and blue theme was so easy, didn't take much thought, and I had fun coming up with Viking/Nautical food ideas.

Smash Cake with Nautical Cookies

 Since birthday parties are the only time I have time to bake or try out new recipes, I opted to try for some custom looking nautical cookies.  I made anchors, life preservers and the Norway flag.  It was definitely a trial and error on these bad boys, but I think they look pretty good, and I thought they tasted good too!  I tried so many different icing recipes during this process!

Buoys (Marshmallows dipped in Red Colored White Chocolate) & Chips Ahoy

Norway Flag Cake

Me and the girl!

What we wore: For the first part of the party, Zack had a custom onesie embroidered by my mom with his name and a viking ship.  We all had matching Viking shirts. One of Andrew's old college friends hand drew the viking and we had them made into shirts!  

Me and the birthday boy!

Yummy!

These two though!

My Viking Boys!

My family

It was a great party to celebrate Zack-Attack, now on to the next party!!  This year will be all about bubbles - he is OBSESSED with bubbles!!!

Zackary-4 months!

Happy four months baby boy!  You've had a great month.  You are such a happy baby, you give smiles to everyone!  And from what I hear, you are quite the flirt!  One of the day care ladies was commenting on how you have smiles just for them, but when she found out you were giving smiles to another lady, she was not happy!  Such a ladies man! ;)

4 month stats: 
I am totally guessing here.....we don't go back for check up until Nov 1.
Weight: 14 lbs?  Height: 26"  ??

You Love to:

• Smile, doesn't matter at who
• Grab things
• Roll over!!
• Suck on your hand, arm, fingers, etc.
• Drool
• Coo and babble at mommy
• Watch Football with Daddy

Watching football, go UCF!

Firsts:

• You went on your first Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Walk.  You hung out in your stroller for the whole race, slept a little, but mostly liked to look around at everyone wearing pink!  You supported your Aunt Sissy very well!!! 

With daddy before the race

My pink Girl!

During the race

Race Bibs

• You rolled over! From the back to front.  We were all super excited!  You had been half rolling over for a little bit, but now you are a rolling over champ!

I am still amazed at what an awesome, happy baby you continue to be!!! Love you my "Zack Attack!"

Sibling Love!